Memoirs of the heart
by chloemcg
Summary: After encountering a certain top-hatted gentleman, Lucy Baker winds up learning about how Alfendi became the son of Professor Hershel Layton.
1. A generous deed

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the characters from Professor Layton, the whole PL franchise belongs to Level 5 and their rightful owners.**

 **Memoirs of the heart.**

* * *

Lucy Baker smiled warmly as she ran a brush through her light brown-blonde hair, her eyes bright as she hummed a warm little tune to match the merry mood she was in. Her bright energetic eyes glimmered and her smile was so soft and sweet to match the melody she hummed.

She looked at her reflection staring her back in the mirror and grabbed her peach orange cap before plopping it over her head, tweaking its position by grabbing the rim of the head accessory.

She put the brush down, feeling the bristles tickle her fingertips, and got to work on fastening the belts of her dark olive green military jacket with that same jolly grin on her face. It didn't take too long before Lucy had finished getting dressed and she got a good look at her bedroom.

The sunlight glared through the veil-like curtains of her bedroom and lit the room up in a partially amber glow that was quite beautiful to look at admittedly. The bed was also tucked up against a corner of the room so it was just next to the doors leading on to her small balcony. There was a wardrobe containing her clothes and a small dressing table complete with mirror sweetly decorated the small bedroom of her apartment.

Lucy was the assistant Detective constable of inspector Alfendi Layton and she was proud to be friends with such an extraordinary man. He was unique in character even though he had a good heart...most of the time. He was also very bouncy as he had the tenancy to go sort of insane the more criminals there were in a case although she had noticed a change lately.

Alfendi was a delight to work with and, even though he was an oddball, Lucy couldn't have wished for a better partner to be paired up with.

She had decided to be there for her friend and help him through this, even though she honestly couldn't even tell which side of the professor's constantly-changing personas was the real one -even though it was originally thought that "Potty prof" was the original; now it seemed that _both_ sides were one in the same.

It now appeared that both of those split personalities had become one and had transformed into the professor's self, even though "potty" and "placid" constantly debated on certain matters and it was a bit awkward to witness...

Ever since then, anyway, things had changed for the better and for the worst.

It took ages but she had finally got herself ready as she clipped her badge to her hip and gave a twirl, giving a determined point of the finger as she exclaimed readily "All rightie world, here comes Lucy Baker!"

With that she darted down the stairs of her apartment with high spirits, a spring in her step and she neglected to have breakfast out of sheer excitement and she barreled out the front door and made a mad dash out the door, grabbing her satchel from the banister of the staircase and she raced out excitedly into the open world outdoors.

Outside her apartment was just a street bustling with life and had a few children playing here and there, it being the weekend and all, and the adults were paying no heed and continued to be wrapped up in their own personal affairs and the like. There was some greenery too as little Rose hedges had been potted and planted atop of a stone fence acting as a small barrier for the apartment complex.

The delightful scent in the air made Lucy take in all her surroundings and she couldn't even begin to describe her amazing neighbourhood as a few butterflies fluttered passed her face to just complete the smashing view just in front of her.

However, as she was bouncing down the stairs, a sudden metallic 'clang' of a noise caught her attention.

Her eyes widened with curiosity as she turned to look at the origin of the noise.

"Hi, Lucy!" A nasally voice called out and caught the girl's attention. Lucy's big browny eyes widened in surprise as she saw a friend riding (or trying to ride) a bicycle with a blue mail persons satchel that was loosely fitting his side in one of the illest of fits around ones waist. He was clinging on tightly to a lamppost with his lanky arms tossed around the thin metal pole yet the bike he was riding was completely shaky.

Lucy knew who this was! "Oh," she gasped "Hello Dustin!" then she cocked a confused brow at the young man "I didn't know you were a mailman too?"

The dude, named Dustin, didn't release his grip on the pole as his bike continued to wobble right underneath him yet he was clearly trying to reach his azure blue bag by doing something, may it be a dumb move or a clever move he was trying anything to reach into the bag as he constantly figited in the seat of the bike.

Lucy decided to be a friend and help him out by walking over to him and putting two hands down on the seat of the bike so it would stop trying to escape underneath its rider. Luckily that was the ticket and this had managed to steady the bike and the young man was able to finally reach into his satchel and grabbed a letter that he had been trying so hard to get.

The red haired young man smiled a little in gratitude as he pulled out the envelope, one arm still wrapped around the lamp post and he handed it to Lucy who had now released the wobbly bike's seat and she was unaware that as soon as she did this, Dustin had already began to disappear upon the horizon from the rapid speed his wonky bike was going at and she didn't notice since she was reading to whom this letter was addressed to.

Lucy's eyes scanned the neatly-written calligraphy and she was a bit shocked at whom the name was "...Hershel Layton, eh? Must be a someone who shares the last name with Prof or summat." She furrowed her eyes in suspicion though. Why was she given this letter addressed to someone who shared the same last name as Alfendi? There was no way it was addressed to one of his relatives...was there?

This was really strange. She didn't even know the address of this "Hershel" and never even heard of the guy. Perhaps it was all just a coincidence, a very, very freaky coincidence.

She decided to try to find the address and deliver the message.

Lucy did decide that she had enough time to kill and tried to ask around for where this "Hershel Layton" guy lived. Eventually she found herself going towards the Greensheller college since she had gotten some information that he was a professor working there which was strange since Alfendi had mentioned his father working as a professor in an academy...

This side of London was actually a pretty quaint place to be as the townsfolk was friendly and they were also very useful for assisting her with information. There was even a few happy voices cheering as lots of people strolled through the park and had even ran through the greeny pastures. As she passed the college she saw many students about her age walking along the school grounds, probably for a weekend lecture, and the fact that they seemed so cheerful and upbeat made her own cheerfulness spread throughout her entire heart. She was happy to live in such a world of where all she knew was a sort of contentment in the air even though there was always a sense of danger too.

It was sort of what made her a detective in the first place, that and a personal reason.

She hoped that this wouldn't take much longer...she needed to hop off to work!

The young woman with the thick Yorkshire accent walked along the sidewalk as she was hopelessly lost in the sea of possibilities of which house she was even going to. She needed some more help, hopefully it would sharpen her skills as a detective.

She continued to walk relentlessly as she refused to give up her search. She wanted to do her good deed for the day since she always loved helping others weather it be getting milk for a neighbour or getting a cat out of a tree even though it would probably make her an easy target for anyone to take advantage of her kindness.

Lucy then saw an old lady talking with an kindly gentleman who was dressed in a peculiar looking top hat with a matching brown coat with a high collar, trousers, wore an orange shirt beneath the coat and wore olive green shoes.

She tapped the elderly woman on the shoulder, grabbing her attention as she and the other man stopped conversing and the lady turned on her heels to face Lucy with a kind smile stretching her wrinkled lips.

"Oh," she smiled "what can I do for you, young lady?"

Lucy returned the smile and asked the question quick-draw, her Yorkshire voice kind and ringing with an optimistic flounce "Hello, I were wonderin' if you could tell me where I can find Hershel Layton I would be 'appy, thanks."

The woman stepped aside to show the top hat-wearing gentleman she was conversing with before "Ah, he is right here."

Lucy was surprised. The guy was here the entire time!? So this was the famous Professor Layton, was it? Well he didn't _look_ like Alfendi so maybe the name and job was just a coincidence after all.

Professor Layton tipped the rim of his top hat to politely introduce himself "Hello there, madam, my name is Hershel Layton." He smiled in such a nice way that it was hard not to like the guy and even though he was taller than she was, a kind aura still emitted from the professor.

The two exchanged an awkward stare for a short period of time. Lucy had completely forgot why she was here for some reason as she mulled over the strange fact that this just might be Alfendi's father. Even though the Prof looked nothing like Professor Layton the possibility was still there since these strange coincidences didn't seem incredibly coincidental anymore, fair to say. This was quite strange and rather exciting now that she thought about it.

Finally the Professor broke the silence by clearing his throat gruffly "So, miss, do you have something you'd like me to look at or...?" His question wasn't incredibly rude but it wasn't very polite either but he didn't seem to notice until Lucy had snapped herself out of it and dug around for the letter that she had intended to bring to him.

She found it quickly and held it out towards the gentleman "Ah! I kinda received this in the post by accident." she explained bashfully "I've spent all morn tryin' to find you."

The professor took the letter. He examined the back of it carefully and smiled when he recognised the name on the back and nodded to the young lady in his wake and he used his free hand to politely tip his top hat at her again. He felt really happy towards her but then he noticed that badge shining on her hip, glittering away in the sunlight hanging overhead and recognised it almost immediately.

That badge indicated that she worked for the police force in someway but she didn't really seem like the type to apprehend criminal masterminds.

The Professor smiled warmly as he stuffed the letter into his pocket and nodded his head gratefully "Why, thank you."

Lucy smiled back at him and replied with a simple "You're welcome," and turned to walk away, however something had already been asked before she could even take another step "...Would you like to come with me for some tea?"

Lucy seemed surprised and looked back at the professor. Did he just offer her...some tea? It was a very polite offer but she didn't want to waste the poor man's time.

"Oh? I-I wouldn't want to be any trouble, Mr. Layton!" She tried to object but the professor insisted she had some tea after delivering his mail all the way to him personally. It was kind and besides...he had a question he really wanted to ask her, her working in the police force and all. Could she know _him_?

He never knew unless he asked.

Professor Layton smiled a small smile "Not at all, young madam, paying one back for such kindness is the duty of every Gentleman."

Lucy found Professor Hershel Layton to be a very interesting person. He was so polite and acted very calm and collected, someone whom was very trustworthy without question. The way he talked about being a gentleman was more than very nice and he seemed a bit like Alfendi in someway and she had to ask him a question. Could he be _his_ father?

They both had a question to ask each other so, with a defeated sigh, Lucy caved in "Actually, I suppose I walked the whole morn to get here so I may need a ride. That and I had skipped breakfast."

Professor Layton nodded. Since she was so nice it was only fair to repay her this way. He would have to read the letter later as he stuffed it in his pocket and the nice old lady from before waving them goodbye before she limped her little way towards a nice cooler place from the beaming sunshine while the two began to walk off down the park and towards the Layton household...

Or what was the Layton household before it had became empty.

* * *

 **A/N: Oooh, it seems that Lucy Baker had just met Professor Layton. We get the see them both have tea and we might even see how Professor Layton had met Alfendi in the first place all those years ago.**

 **What do you guys think of this meeting?**

 **Edit: I decided to make this a very small story, this used to be apart of PL and AL and the guardians sceptre. But then I thought; nah, maybe this would be better. I hope this pleases you guys, I'll try and update PL and the Dragons sapphire ASAP.**

 **Please like it and review what you think if that's alright and if you guys like this.**

 **-Chloemcg**


	2. Memoirs of the heart

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the characters from Professor Layton, the whole PL franchise belongs to Level 5 and their rightful owners.**

 **Memoirs of the heart.**

* * *

Lucy raised the rim of the small cup to her lips, taking a small sip of the steaming hot tea inside and she smiled a little as she felt the smooth, warm broth quickly touch every part in her mouth and then sliver down her throat.

She swallowed as she put the cup down on the small coffee table distancing both herself and Professor Layton. The two had been uncomfortably quiet ever since arriving at the small house and they constantly shifted in their seats as they would constantly take a sip of their tea before putting the little tea cups back down upon the coasters resting over the mahogany surface.

Professor Layton's house/office provided a nice warm environment as the bright yellow walls were quite nice and the cream carpet was nice to walk on. That and she found the sights and smells quite mesmerizing, it was so untidy yet it had this certain cleanliness about it. It sort of made her feel right at home!

Lucy decided to start up a conversation before things got too awkward "This is a nice place you got, Mr. Layton," she grinned "Its summat of a nice place to have a sip of tea. That and the puzzles here are a brain-picker too!"

The professor finally snapped out of his train of deep thought and chuckled rather nervously and mumbled something whilst fumbling around with that tall collar of his coat and wearing a small awkward smile "Um, er, thank you...Just "Professor Layton" would suffice, though, Mrs. Baker."

Lucy tut tutted, wagging a dismissive finger in the air. She didn't care much for formalities just like Alfendi and she wouldn't want an older man such as him to call him by that. She smiled while pointing to herself with a thumb pointed at her chest "Tsk, no need fer that. My names Lucy."

Professor Layton grinned. Lucy certainly was a wild little one yet she also had a kind heart. As a matter of fact, she sort of reminded him of a certain young boy who used to call himself his apprentice. Luke and Lucy seemed to have a lot in common in actuality and he couldn't even begin to deny that fact but still something bothered him, something that brought on a bit of nostalgic value in all honesty.

He really missed those days when he had a lot more value to science and constantly went on expeditions with his companions...but, just like his days with them, those interesting journeys and adventures had dulled to a sudden halt as time went by. It was actually sad to think about but he shouldn't think about the past, not with a visitor here at least.

"A gentleman never makes a scene in public let alone in front of a lady" is what he'd tell himself mentally right about now.

"Alright..." he hesitated, finding this beyond awkward "Lucy, allow me to ask you something if I may." He began nervously. This was so unbecoming of him, it was like a date with Claire all over again! Maybe its because this would bring back something most sad for him but still...

However Lucy too said something as she looked towards him, glancing down at the china cup in her hands and stirring the tea in her hands so she could see her reflection while avoiding eye contact with the top-hat gentleman "Aye, ask away. Although actually I have summat ta ask you too, Professor."

The professor decided to let Lucy ask her query first. It was only right to let a lady go first so he picked up his tea cup again and placed the saucer to his lips so he could inhale the scent of his favored home remedied brew and he closed his eyes as he done this. He listened with open ears as the question was asked.

"D'you know someone by the name of Alfendi Layton?"

And just like that Professor Layton actually spat out his tea.

It was promptly followed by a huge fit of coughing and spluttering as he doubled over whilst pounding his chest with one of his fists. This question certainly caught him off guard! Did she just ask him what he think he heard her ask!? How could she possibly know him, could this be related to the fact that she works at Scotland Yard too?!

His heart was racing and thumping inside his chest as his fist drummed against his chest to prevent his piping hot tea from actually being sucked down into his heart since it had clearly gotten stuck down his trachea at some point and, in other words, "went down the wrong way".

It felt like ages but it was really seconds until the Professor had finally stopped hacking up his tea and he was now doubled over with his head down.

Lucy was concerned. Did she ask something wrong? Why was he so shocked on hearing that name?

Maybe he was Alfendi's father!

Professor Layton cleared his throat gruffly before slowly composing himself, trying his best to not continue coughing his lungs out and scare the poor lass. He kept a well-maintained stone face although his voice was sounding a little too calm and refined as he asked as slowly as one could "Where, might I inquire, did you hear that name young lady?" He raised a curious, stern brow and eyed her.

He seemed almost condescending with that quirked brow.

Lucy was near startled. What was with the sudden attitude change? All she did was ask a question! All of a sudden the professor had maintained the position of a parent ready to scold their child for playing a cruel prank on a neighbor. He eyed her sharply as she felt really uneasy and she could even feel a few beads of sweat trickling down her neck and forehead.

"Crikey!" She exclaimed, alarmed "I work with him, I-I'm his a-assistant in Sc-Sc-Scotland Yard!" She held up her palms in an attempt to calm the Professor down and she watched as the man wearing the top hat cooled himself down like an out of control steaming cup of tea and he looked very sad now as he stared down at his lap in shame, tipping the rim of his top hat down to shield his lowered face from his young guest.

"F-Forgive...me." The Professor suddenly croaked "...I had not expected to hear that, my dear." The rim of the hat dipped even lower if it were possible "...Alfendi Layton is my son."

Lucy gasped. So this man _is_ Alfendi's father! Fancy that, that she would have to deliver a letter to her superior's dad but Alfendi never spoke much of him, or very highly for that matter, and there was also the fact that neither of them shared a single trait from each other apart from their genius minds and creative intellect.

What possible relations could this man share with the "Prof" she knows?

She sat there in silence, allowing this realisation to sink into her head. However her face held the one question that niggled at her mind and the Professor, of course, decided to answer the question her face was so desperately begging for.

Professor Layton sighed and finally looked up, his eyes showing pure nostalgia "...I'll tell you from the beginning, the beginning of how Alfendi first wound up in my life."

* * *

 _29 years earlier..._

 _Professor Layton walked along a sidewalk whilst his hands were buried in his coat pockets, his dot-like eyes cast down to the ground below and his olive green slip-on shoes that slowly clicked on the gloomy sidewalk. He wore a deep red scarf that was fastened around his neck due to the changing seasons and he could feel the cold nip at his nose._

 _The puzzle enthusiast had just said his "goodbyes" to Luke (his young apprentice) some time ago and time dragged on from there. It slinked on by without the gentleman archeologist, not that he noticed it much._

 _He knew that the grey dark skies were very telling that a thunder storm was inevitable and that it would come along soon to make everyone scatter into their homes but in all honesty the Professor didn't care right now._

 _He hated being alone and felt not an incredible amount of value to the world right about now other than teach his students and to uncover secrets about fossils. He felt alright about it for awhile before he began to notice that his life was incredibly empty even with the few visitors he had to swarm him with company._

 _Not even a good puzzle could cheer him up!_

 _Professor Layton was so lonely._

 _The idea of adopting a child or hiring a new assistant had crossed his mind once or twice in the recent weeks gone by but nobody could replace Luke nor Emmy (a young lady who had left him just before Luke had to move away) and she was his assistant. He didn't like to reminisce on the past like this nor feel sorry for himself, knowing how pathetic for the great professor Layton to probably spoil his image among other people, but he couldn't care less right now._

 _A sudden breeze suddenly brought him out of his lingering on the past as it began to blow at his back, blowing his coat forwards a bit from behind him._ _The cold winds hit him hard and even made him freeze as he squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth._

 _The wind was like wearing a coat of ice as it touched his skin._

 _He knew now that he needed to get home before he was attacked by the drops of rain that would come and make his cloudy day even more so. He adjusted his scarf and its blowing tails so it would cover his mouth and nose up and decided to push forwards before something else happened to make this day horrible._

 _But that was when he heard it..._

 _A soft cry._

 _The professor froze in place, taking the noise into full account as his brain tried to register what it was. It sounded like it was muffled, as if it was hidden from plain sight, yet it was still there._

 _The sound was slightly muffled by a dull echo, but it was still identifiable._

 _His eyes widened as he turned towards the direction the noise came from which brought him to a cautious turn on his heels to face his right where a gap between two shops had been presented to him._

 _Upon closer inspection it was discovered to be a tunnel leading somewhere, most likely the docks._

 _Curiosity driving him alone the professor wearily stepped into the darkness of the tunnel and he walked for a minute or two. He knew this tunnel led to the docks where London would pick up its cargo for delivery and such._

 _Professor Layton wasn't even focusing on the sounds anymore since he had blocked them out for some reason...however that was before his foot accidentally come into contact with something as he walked. His foot accidentally bumped the side of a small cardboard box that sat alone in one side of the darkened tunnel and it was actually a bit battered and moistened since there was clearly a few smudges of the remnants belonging to some simple penning._

 _The professor ignored the slight pain in his big toe for that careless move by the careless impact since he was more drawn to something else that followed the accidental knock of the useless box of hardened paper material._

 _There was some more strange, high pitched sounds coming from within the slightly sealed up box so the professor could safely deduce that this was where the initial sounds came from so he decided to slowly kneel down in front of it to examine its contents._

 _It must have been a prank or something but for some reason it didn't feel like that._

 _He could most definitely hear something inside the box._

 _Slowly and carefully, Professor Layton peered down upon the top of the box and reluctantly lifted the folds meant to close the it but he was overcome with shock from what he saw within as a sharp gasp managed to escape his throat and his mouth gaped open in mere disbelief._

 _Laying inside the basket, wrapped up in a soft shawl-like cloth, was the tiny form of a small infant. It appeared to have been a newborn but it also looked older than he thought from the fact that it had sleepily dragged open its heavy eyelids, revealing a pair of unique yellow-golden eyes staring up at him with a sleepy curiosity while he brought up two tiny fists to rub at his eyes to wake himself up._

 _A mop of purple wavy hair had covered most of the boy's teeny head as its pointy nose was pointed up towards the top hat-wearing archeologist. T_ _he child's mouth formed into a small curious "o" shape and his face twisted in confusion as he made a small gurgle of awe. The child's expression seemed very inquisitive, actually._

 _The professor could hardly believe his eyes as he looked around for anyone who could have left this baby alone recently but found nobody matching that description._

 _Nobody at all, in fact._

 _His eyes went back down to the infant who seemed to grow more and more awake as the seconds ticked by, partially the fault of the bump his container had received moments ago on the gentleman's part._

 _Professor Layton was completely unsure what to think in this moment in time as his heart exploded from the mere shock of this moment._

 _However he decided to examine the little one more closely as he adjusted his own position to look for anything else that could tell him about the paternity of this child and whom he belongs to, even though the more he studied him the more he realised that this tiny infant was actually abandoned._

 _By now the man's head was a mess of questions. Apart from the original thought of "what would a baby be doing here?" there would have to be "who left him here?" And "where has his parents gone?" as he seemed a little too young to be unsupervised and without a parent. As a matter of fact, professor Layton discovered, this child couldn't be much older than maybe 5 months old._

 _Professor Layton adjusted his top hat to get a better view and noticed a small tag on the baby's blanket that had been titled "Alfendi", most likely a name that the child had been left with before he had been left in this sorry state._

 _He gave the child a kind, yet forced smile as he knew he had to say something to break this silence "Hello there, little one." He spoke, his voice was soft and compassionate._

 _The infant simply stared up at him in confusion at least not before looking at its surroundings which involved the dark, wet, brown walls of its humble little makeshift bed. He seemed to have been very confused of what had brought him here. Then he looked around more thoroughly but a sudden gust of cold wind blew over and made the infant shudder from the frigid air._

 _The professor noticed the shiver of Alfendi's body and suddenly felt sympathetic for the little fellow. The upcoming storm along with this time of year was clearly very cold and the rain wouldn't be pleasant for anyone to stay in if they could help it. The professor knew that even the cries of this child wouldn't bring anyone to its rescue even if he cried his hardest, the thunder and lightning would be too loud probably._

 _The infant Alfendi let out a sneeze before_ _a whimpered sob broke out from the little one's throat, his large eyes beginning to tear up to signal that he was about to cry. The reasons for this was probably the cold brewing._

 _The professor couldn't leave him out here alone!_

 _He had to stop the baby from crying out and attracting unwanted attention and before he could even register what was happening, his arms had instinctively stretched down and coiled around the little one as he scooped him up and reeled him in closely._

 _Hershel Layton held the child into the warmth seeping through the clothing on his chest whilst crooning as softly as he could muster in his well-contained calming attitude to bring some form of comfort to the little one. He could feel the infant's resistance as he tried to push away with all his feeble might but the professor just continued to wrap him in his coat and hold him as close as possible._

 _The baby's whimpers turned into full blown cries now as he feebly tried to push himself away from Layton._

 _"No, no, no, no...don't cry little one, I'm here now." He found himself whispering to Alfendi whilst cradling him in the crook of his arm. He knew how to act around little babies when the time called for it; he had cared for Luke when he was a baby, too, after all._

 _The archeologist closed his eyes and allowed himself to be lost in that position, holding the young infant in his grasp and he drifted off into deep thought on the spot._ _The single thought that had pushed towards the front of his mind would now be:_

 _What was he to do now after having found this child?_

 _Professor Layton couldn't exactly tell very much about the situation at hand but it was slightly easy to tell that Alfendi had been left here for quite some time judging from the state of the box he was inside and that some rain had seeped in through the tunnel ceiling and must have dampened the box the little one was in._

 _Plus Alfendi seemed hungry and quite lonely so there was another indication of his long abandoned state._

 _He might have even been starting to get hypothermia from the cold!_

 _"Shhhh...there, there." The professor hushed as he rocked the small baby._

 _Time passed and Alfendi's wails mellowed into hiccups and whimpers. He seemed to have been calming down a bit as he snuggled into his savior's arms and felt the warmth of his body heat kick in and warm him up._ _This seemed to have done the trick as Alfendi found himself staring back up at the professor again with saddened, lonesome eyes._

 _Professor Layton's frown turned into a genuine smile as he bounced the orphaned infant in his arms to relax him. The archeologist's black little eyes softened to match the kind smile he wore as he tickled little Al. The child managed to free an arm from its binds and it waved about aimlessly in the air, flailing with quick precision._

 _It actually reminded the Professor of a puzzle he had been meaning to complete before he went out on this stroll._

 _Layton's heart grew warm._

 _He had noticed that the little boy was reaching towards his top hat, clearly wanting to play with it. Of course, under normal circumstances, professor Layton wouldn't dream of his head parting from the beloved hat of his normal formality but this wasn't a normal circumstance as it would have it so he done something which both surprised himself and appeared to have surprised the little infant wrapped tightly in his embrace:_

 _He took off his hat and handed it to the little boy._

 _The baby curiously held the large head accessory in his teeny, pudgy hands and his saucer-like eyes gleamed from the tears he had previously cried but also from the admirable curiosity shooting through his feeble little being. Those yellow-amber eyes of his began to light up in this muted interest as the tiny newborn silently examined the refined peice of headwear._

 _Meanwhile, the archeologist smiled softly and adjusted the tiny boy so he could elevate him up towards his face, allowing him to touch his cheeks if he desired and he observed the curious infant with amusement._

 _"Hahaha, easy now..." The professor laughed for what seemed like the first in ages and he found himself squeezing one eye closed as Alfendi reached his little arms upwards and placed the hat back on the adult's head albeit in a wonky position that made it tilt towards one side to cover up one eye but Professor Layton didn't mind in the least._

 _The professor held a little giggling Alfendi in at arms distance before his arms retracted and he and nuzzled him lovingly "I shall take care of you, my little one." He planted a gentle kiss on the baby's head, earning a sweet giggle that melted his heart._

 _The Professor climbed to his aching feet slowly, gently wrapping Alfendi in his soggy blue blankets, and rocked him a little to keep him calm._

 _He kept little Alfendi tightly wrapped so he wouldn't get any colder during the walk home and the professor knew that he needed to give this needy little boy a place to live, besides it could extinguish that lonesome feeling that had long since plagued him._

 _With that said, Professor Layton bundled Alfendi in his arms and began to make the long trek back towards his house with his hat still in that wonky position. He didn't have the heart to correct the position of his top hat so left it there to make Alfendi happy._

 _That whole in his heart, the one that had become like a big tear when Luke had left, may have started to stitch right back up as the Professor knew he was no longer all alone:_

 _Now he had a son who he could call his very own._

 _Alfendi Layton._

* * *

Professor Layton hung his head, pinching the bridge of his nose with a hand covering his face to try and ignore the small pool of nostalgia filling in a hole in his heart that he thought had long been permanent.

He lifted his head and put his hand down on his lap to overlap the other hand that rested on his knee yet his face was etched in the nostalgia that seemed to impale his back like an ice cold knife.

He frowned down heartedly at Lucy who had a look of sympathy on her face "...That, my dear, is how Alfendi had came into my life." He swallowed a stone that had formed in his throat to prevent inevitable tears from streaking down his cheeks and betraying his utter despair.

Silence had loomed over the pair and neither of them wished to break it.

Lucy had to wonder though, what happened between Alfendi and Professor Layton? Why did he never speak of him in full detail? Why did he never speak highly of him when his father was brought up? This story made her usually stilled, calm and neat mind a mess and tangle of questions that she couldn't answer.

Lucy eventually cast a calm smile over at the Professor as she suddenly found herself saying "Mr. Papa Prof, I'd have ta say that even though I'd bet Prof would nowt agree with me for saying this but I think he's very lucky to have a papa like you."

The professor was silent but he was shocked at what the young lady had just told him. Never had anyone complemented his parental skills like that and he even found himself smiling sincerely at her.

He nodded gratefully and Lucy nodded her head back to the Professor without a word and took a swift glance at the old grandfather clock. Her eyes widened momentarily with panic as she quickly hastened out the door "...Thank ya for the tea, Professor Layton," she threw the door open and bolted out "I've got to get to work or Prof will be mad at me if I were to get there late!"

Lucy's Yorkshire-accented voice was filled with genuine worry for not getting to work on time but there was also a hint of cheerfulness as she rushed off.

She slammed the door behind her.

Professor Layton let out a small chuckle he didn't even realise he held inside him. That Lucy Baker was certainly a fiery young lady and he could tell that she was very kind. But he couldn't even help but find comfort in the fact that even after all these years, Alfendi remained that young stubborn boy he had raised from infancy.

He stood up to stretch his aching legs but found himself wandering towards the mirror that had been covered in a thick layer of dust that he wiped a small portion away with a hand, leaving behind a pristine smear that managed to reveal his reflection underneath it.

He supposed he hadn't cleaned the mirror in a while.

His expression wistful the professor reached up towards his hat, placing two fingers softly along the rim before he tipped the head accessory to one side so it would become wonky on his head; the same position Alfendi had left it the day they had met each other...

He realised that he never asked Lucy his question but it didn't matter anymore, that was already answered. She did know Alfendi.

The Professor smiled gently at his reflection and raised a sleeve to wipe the tears in his eyes away. He didn't know why he was crying but he felt so happy, he never felt this happy before.

A single tear trailed down his cheek whence he looked back on that day whence he discovered Alfendi once more "...I will always be proud of you, my son..."

* * *

 **A/N: That's how Professor Layton had met Alfendi (in my version, anyway). Now, this was originally supposed to be sad and this was supposed to be apart of a bigger fanfic but I decided to shorten the fanfic and make it happier.**

 **Thanks. Please leave a review and I hope you all enjoyed the modified version of this story.**

 **-Chloemcg**


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